FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT MOTOR OIL - PAGE 2

In college, growing your own usually meant you'd run the risk of being busted. Now, growing your own typically refers to tomatoes. But how would you like to grow your own motor oil? Though you may not find such seeds in the catalogs, research is well under way to produce motor oil from renewable resources, and at least four major fleets have been operating vehicles with the stuff. America has a voracious appetite for oil, not only for fuel in the form of gasoline and diesel, but also for lubricating oils, millions of gallons of which are produced, installed and drained every year.

The dusty cans of old paint, almost-empty spray bottles of weed killer and milk jugs of used motor oil in basements and garages across Lake County can be responsibly disposed of this fall during four free collections of household hazardous waste scheduled by the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County. Drop-off days will be: Sept. 19 at the Commonwealth Edison Power Station, 10 Greenwood Ave., Waukegan, and Oct. 17 at Wauconda High School, 555 N. Main St., Wauconda. Locations have not yet been announced for collections scheduled for Oct. 3 and Nov. 7. The drop-offs take place from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Participants are advised to place their materials in their car trunks and drive to the drop-off location.

Just about every basement and garage has a scary assortment of chemicals that has been gathering dust for months, if not years. Old paint and weed killer, motor oil and antifreeze, insecticides and driveway sealants are just a few of the more popular items. Less informed or more furtive members of the populace dispose of these materials in conventional ways, which means dumping them in a storm sewer or tossing them in the trash. Those methods create all sorts of environmental problems, but many people are nervous about keeping the material stored on the shelf for years and remain unsure exactly what to do. The answer to that problem will be offered in DuPage County on three Saturdays in October.

Q. What is the shelf life of motor oil, two-cycle engine oil, antifreeze and windshield-washer fluid? Does it make any difference if the container is unopened or opened, partly used and recapped? M.S., South Holland A. Unopened products will fare better than open ones. If it has never been opened, antifreeze will hold up for years, though there may be some settling of its compounds so shake it before using. Motor oil and two-cycle oil will last almost indefinitely. But do not use motor oil if its API service grade does not meet your car's requirements.

If you're someone who loves new gadgets, a technology junkie who can't wait for the latest toy to hit the market, don't read another word. This column is not for you; nor will your "Well, duh" comments be welcome. This is for technophobes, the people who believe washing machines should feature only one option — wash — and cell phones, two — to make calls and receive them. But this isn't about my washing machine or cell phone, as aggravating as they are. This is about my latest source of frustration: the snowblower.

Motor oil merger: The nation's two leading motor oil producers, Pennzoil Co. and Quaker State Corp., said they have completed their combination. The transaction included the spinoff of Pennzoil's Products Group and the combination of its marketing, manufacturing and fast oil-change businesses with all of Quaker State to create "the world's biggest automotive consumer products company"--Pennzoil-Quaker State Co.

Amoco Oil Co. will accept used motor oil from consumers at 160 of its service stations in the Chicago area. "The used motor oil will be transported to Amoco's Whiting, Ind., refinery, where it will be used as fuel for the refinery or for reprocessing," said James L. Nardo, district manager for Amoco. No purchase is necessary for motorists who drop off their old oil at the stations, which will have a sign in the window saying, "Used motor oil recycling center."

Q-My brother-in-law and I got into a heated argument the other night about gas mileage in new cars versus cars of yesteryear. He said his 1950 Oldsmobile Delta 88 got 15 m.p.g. in the city and 20 m.p.g. on the highway. I don`t think so. What was the m.p.g. of that car? G.R., Westchester A-In 1950, Dr. Gizmo was playing with Matchbox cars, there was no Environmental Protection Agency to test vehicles for fuel consumption, and most motorists believed that gasoline would be a readily available, inexpensive fuel source forever.

Slick deal: Exxon Corp. agreed to sell a motor oil additive unit to Chevron Corp. to win federal antitrust approval for a joint venture with Royal Dutch/Shell Group. The sale clears the way for the two oil giants to team up to develop, make and sell what are called viscosity index improvers, which are added to motor oil to help protect auto engines at high and low temperatures. Together, Exxon and Shell account for more than half the sales of the additives in North America.